‘Pause’ and ‘Reflect’

“Balance is not something you can find; it’s something you create” (ANON)

For many, the December holidays and approach to the New Year is not only a time of relaxation and family reunion, but also a time of reflection: How did my year go? Was there anything that I could have done differently? Could I have achieved better results? For some, the year 2023 may have been painful: sickness, loss, loneliness, confusion, and other pressures as well. And as our world continues to be in turmoil: war, illness, fear, death, poverty, sadness etc., we pause and ask: When will it ever stop? Will it ever stop? I think you know the answer to that already, do you not?

At times, life can be incredibly challenging. It seems like the persistent waves of the ocean as one challenge rolls in after another. Amidst such a rush, it seems to become more and more difficult even to pause long enough to reflect on our daily choices and what we want to do with the precious moments we call life. Yet making time for such pauses to clarify who we are and what we are about is so important to our life purpose as human beings. Pauses are indispensable to retain balance in turmoil. But one important question to personally ask oneself is: what is stealing my peace? In amongst all the chaos around me/us how do I/we live in peace on the inside?

Aware that I may not be able to stop the chaos going outside of me, it is crucial that I persistently search for ways to first stop the chaos inside of me so as to find serenity within and live with inner peace. Some of us will agree this is quite some job! Personally, I know what it feels like to live in chaos and I struggle to find serenity. But in such moments of turmoil, I have found solace in having time to ‘pause and reflect.’

Bill Tammeus vividly described the power of such pauses in a December 1989 entry:

“There is a special moment as the waves foam in. It occurs just at the instant that one wave has spent itself on the sand but, suspended, has not yet begun to be pulled back out to sea. For less than a second, the waters stop churning and, through their clearness, I can see the ground beneath, see the rocks, the shells, the sand.

Sometimes I think that’s how much of a glimpse we are ever given of what is really going on in this life. We get a small clip of time as the forces that buffet us reach an occasional uneasy equilibrium. Then they retreat and the next wave smashes in and we lose that special momentary clarity.

But while the clarity is there, while the action is suspended, calm, we should gather it in and store it deep within us so that when the next wave hits – and inevitably it will – we can keep our balance”.

Many of us who practise ‘pauses’ in their day-to-day living, will agree that these are moments when one can see clearly the potential that is within oneself. These are moments when one is able to look beyond life’s broken shells and swirling adversities and see what difference one can make in the lives of those around him/her. Cherish and hold on to such moments! Sharing with my retreat director recently, I became aware that it is important to keep ‘pauses’ at the forefront of my mind so that when the buffeting waves of trivia and busyness crash in upon me, I can keep my sight elevated and focused on my life purpose and dream.

Life is challenging, hence the importance of having meaningful ‘pauses’ now and then that enable us attain balance and serenity in turmoil. Evidently, as we learn to retain our own balance, our eyes can turn outwards to express kindness, care, and compassion to others. We can search for opportunities to make meaningful contributions. As such, we not only fill our lives with purpose, but we help others fill their lives with purpose as well. When our life is filled with purpose, we will find inner peace, joy and happiness in everything we do. For some people, this has proven to be the path to serenity.

As we pray for a year (2024) filled with hope for thousands of marginalized and displaced populations in our world, we ask for the grace that we remain ambassadors of justice, peace, and love in our broken world. We pray that your/my ‘serene’ and ‘balanced’ life be a channel of this transformation. God’s grace is Enough!

 

Scholasticah Nganda
Kenyan Province